Saturday, May 17, 2008

After years of rumors and allegations, the last great secrets of illegal sports doping may be revealed at the upcoming trial of former professional track coach Trevor Graham.

In the current doping environment this is an enormous development. There are no precedents remotely resembling these allegations of sports doping. Athletes have been cleaned out of titles and medals. But the stench of doping kept growing like a malignancy on the sport.

Track and field’s watergate is chronicled in a recent London Times piece. The case and the circumstances have the makings to be the mother of all track and field scandals.

Angela Heredia of Laredo, Texas is prepared to admit that he was a primetime player and source of the illegal sports doping game. He also shares his motivations to “tell all” against the coach for whom he previously worked.

Based on what is eluded to in this article, a lot of critical information may be forth coming in the Graham trial. There is a very real possibility that careers may be ruined, other people may face criminal charges and go to jail.

“Though he appreciates the investigators have done a good job, Heredia doesn’t see much changing in the sports world. “At one time, between Victor Conte and me, you could say we had the whole of US track and field in our pocket. Conte was sent to jail, I don’t know what is going to happen to me but I could go to jail too. But I can tell you, nothing is going to stop. Athletes are still going to South Africa to train, they’re still doping.”

Still, there were misgivings. “Even at the last moment, I felt I was betraying my oath, the underground oath among athletes. What hurt me was that, deep down, I didn’t want to put all this stuff on the table. I truly felt sad about it, but Trevor sent that syringe and in the end, I had no choice.”